Court upholds sentence for man accused in officer’s death

December 29, 2018

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court has upheld the life sentence for a man convicted of killing a suburban Albuquerque police officer.

In 2016, Andrew Romero was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, plus 60 years, following a jury trial in Los Lunas. He was convicted of shooting and killing Rio Rancho Officer Gregg Nigel Benner in 2015.

Romero’s attorney argued on an appeal before the state’s high court that the jury was tainted during his trial because four jurors indicated they had been exposed to media coverage resulting from the shooting. The defense argued that that none of the 12 jurors should have been exposed to media headlines in the case.